Barn cleaner system



Oct. 2, 1956 N. CORDIS BARN CLEANER SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1951 INVFNTOR NAT CORDIS ATTORNEY 0d 2, 1956 N. CORDIS BARN CLEANER SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18, 1951 INVEIX I ORI N AT CO R DIS ATTORNEY Get. 2, 1956 N. coRDls BARN CLEANER SYSTEM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April l8, 1951 ON vw w BARN CLEANER SYSTEM Nat Cordis, Silver Lake, Wis.

Application April 18, 1951, Serial No. 221,703

9 Claims. (Cl. 214-93) This invention relates to improvements in mechanical barn cleaners and more particularly to a barn cleaner which may be operated either in a single gutter or in a number of converging gutters which discharge into a single hopper and elevator.

Many types of barn cleaners having been proposed heretofore but none is adapted to rapidly and thoroughly clean a single gutter without installation of chains, sprockets, paddles, etc. in the gutter. Furthermore none is adapted to be operated universally with any kind of gutter layout whether double, straight away, L or T shape, or any combination. Likewise none is adaptable for installation of the elevator at any desired point in the gutter system.

It is therefore a principal object of my invention to provide an improved barn cleaner and elevator assembly which is adapted for operation in any type of gutter layout. Another object of the invention is to provide a gutter cleaning apparatus which requires a minimum of alteration of existing barn floor. A further object is to provide an apparatus for driving a paddle-type elevator and a towed shovel or scoop gutter cleaner. An additional object is to provide a compact apparatus which may be installed without special construction skills. A more specific object is to provide a barn cleaner which is free of paddles, chains, corner sprockets, and the like in the floor gutters. Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

Briefly my invention comprises a towed shovel or scoop removably arranged to travel in a gutter to a collection hopper out of which an elevator operates. A single power unit drives the elevator at the upper or discharge end and also drives a cable drum about which a tow line or cable, having one end fixed to the shovel, is wound to draw the shovel through the gutter to the hopper. A cable guide unit is provided over the hopper so that the shovel can approach the hopper from any direction. The guide unit also includes switch means for controlling the drive to the cable drum and the switch is tripped by the cable when the shovel nears the hopper. An overriding electrical control is aligned overhead the gutters so that the operator has complete control of the cleaner at all times.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and to the attached drawings forming a part thereof. Like reference characters identify corresponding parts in the respective figures wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic elevation of an installation according to my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the apparatus within the barn;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective showing details of the cable guide assembly;

nited States Patent Patented Oct. 2, 1956 Figure 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 2;

Figures 6, 7, and 8 are front, side, and top views respectively of the power drive unit; and

Figure 9 is a wiring diagram of the power and control circuits.

The drawings in Figures 1, 2, and 3 illustrate a typical installation of my shovel type barn cleaner. A towed shovel 10 is pulled through the gutter 11 by cable 12 and discharges refuse into hopper 13 for removal by elevator or loader 14. The drive unit 15, including electric motor 16 and transmission 17 on frame 18, drives the elevator sprocket 19 and also provides the power for the cable drum or winch 20 through a clutch 21. A cable guide ashembly 22 is supported over the hopper 13 by frame 23 and permits the cable 12 and shovel 1b to approach the hopper 13 from any angle.

An overhead pull cord 24 manually actuates an overriding stop-and-start switch 25 in lead 26 to solenoid 27 to control clutch 21 and the driving of drum 26. However, the cable guide assembly 22 includes switch 31 and a switch control arm 28 operated by the trip or ball 29 on cable 12 which automatically stops the driving of cable drum 20, without interrupting the operation of the elevator 14, when the shovel 10 is near the end of gutter 11 and hopper 13.

As shown in Figure 4, the cable guide assembly 22 comprises a base frame 23, a switch box 30 containing switch 31, horizontal or lateral pulleys 32 and 33 journaled in the frame 23, vertical restraining or deflector pulley 34 mounted in an extension 23a of the base frame, and the bifurcated switch arm control 28 rotatably mounted on upstanding pivot shaft 35 supported by the base 23. The arm 28 is in the path of the cable 12 which passes through it and is rotatable in the plane of the pulleys 32 and 33. Spring means may be provided to hold the bifurcated arm 28 outwardly until the trip 29 engages it. A switch-actuating arm 36 is fixed or linked to the bifurcated control arm 28 and these two elements 23 and 36 may be an integral bellcrank unit. The arm 36 in any event actuates the microswitch 31 of Figure 9 which is in a normally closed position. This switch 31 controls the power supply to the solenoid 27 through lead 26.

The assembly 22 for guiding the cable 12 is mounted over the lower end of the elevator 14 on a frame 23 comprising a leg 37, the upper end of which is bolted to the guide assembly base frame 23 and the lower end of which anchors by webs 38 to the sloping top of the hollow central rib 39 extending longitudinally of the elevator 14. A transverse support arm or brace is fixed to an upper part of leg 37 and bolted to the edge of the upstanding elevator side wall 41. The lower end of the brace 40 terminates in a T-anchor 42 which is embedded in the cement floor to make the leg 37 and cable guide assembly 22 rigid and strong.

The elevator-conveyor includes a hopper 13 having a floor or bed 43, upstanding side walls 41, and a cen tral rib 39 which has a sloping top and straight sides as shown. The hopper 13 and lower end of the elevator 14, usually constructed of sheet metal, is set in concrete below the gutters 11 to a floor level as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. An endless elevator chain 44 carrying spaced paddles 45, is fixed about the drive sprocket 19, and idler sprocket 46 for travel in a circuit along the bed 43 of the elevator 14 from the hopper 13 to the point of discharge beyond the upper end of the elevator bed and back to the hopper. A paddle cleaner or scraper can also be provided adjacent the drive sprocket 19. A removable power unit 15 is adjustably carried by the upper end of the elevator rib 39 as described below.

The power head unit 15 drives both the elevator chain 44 with its paddles 45 and the cable drum 20. The unit 15 is attached to the discharge end of the elevator 14 by sliding the long triangular stub 47 welded to the frame 18 into the corresponding triangular sleeve 43 at the upper end of the rib 39 of the elevator 14. The entire unit 15 can be moved longitudinally of the elevator rib 3h by means of the adjusting screw 49 which is the take-up mechanism that will tighten or loosen the chain 44.

In Figures 6, 7, and 8 I have shown details of my power head unit 15 including the base frame '18, mounting stub 47, motor '16, transmission 17, cable drum 20, clutch means 2 1 with the clutch solenoid 27 and the swivel linkage supported by gibbet arm '51. An output shaft 52 extends downwardly from the transmission 17 to support the drive sprocket 1? for the elevator chain 44. The upper end '53 of the output shaft drives the clutch arm 50 which is keyed to the shaft 53 and is engageable with the cable drum 20 through dogs 64 and pawl 65. The cable drum 2! is also mounted about the drive shaft 53 but is free to rotate thereon in either direction. The cable drum includes a spool 54, hub '55 and spokes 56, the spool having a rim 63.

The linkage between the core 57 of the solenoid 27 and the clutch lever '8 comprises a pin 59 pivotally fixed at its upper end to the lower end of solenoid core 57 and terminating at its lower end in a swivel joint 60. This swivel joint is provided by passing the head 59a of pin '59 through inverted U-bracket '61, the depending legs of which are rotatably fixed to clutch lever 58. The

lever 58 is in turn fulerumed near the periphery of the drum 20 in the outer end of the clutch arm assembly '50, which is keyed to and turns with the shaft 53.

On the upper rim 63 of the spool 54 of the cable drum 20 are a number of spaced drive dogs 64. When clutch lever 5'8 is raised by the swivel linkage and solenoid 27, the clutch pawl 65 is depress-ed into the driving position as shown thus engaging a drive dog 64. This causes the cable drum 2% to rotate and windup the cable 12. Normally the pawl 65 is held in contact with the dog 64 by the solenoid in opposition to the action of spring 62. However, due to the lever action on the clutch pawl 65, the clutch 21 will disengage if overloaded because the pull on the solenoid 27 will be great enough to overcome its normal holding power. This will result in a tugging action on the cable '12 and warn the operator of the overload.

Associated with the power unit and cable drum is an anti-backlash device 66 including .a following roller 67 carried on the end of the pivoted brake arm '68 which actuates the brake shoe 69, having springs 70 and 71, when the cable '12 has been unwound from the spool 54. As the cable 12 is returned to the drum 20, the following roller 67 moves outward to release the brake shoe which contacts the rims of the drum 20.

One end of the cable '12 is fixed to the spool 54 of the cable drum 20 and the cable wound about it. The free end 12a of the cable is threaded over the fleet angle cable guide pulley 72 mounted on beam 73 which is supported by the frame 18 of the power unit 15. The cable 112 is then threaded under the deflector guide pulley 3 then between the lateral guide pulleys 32 and 3 3, and thence through the bifurcated switch arm 28 in the cable guide unit 22. The trip ball 29 is then fixed to the cable 12 and the cable end fastened to the universal linkage 83 on the shovel '10 as shown in Figure 1. The trip 29 is spaced from the shovel 10 a length about equal to the distance between the top edge of the hopper :13 and the bifurcated switch arm 28 on the cable guide assembly 22. A cylindrical hood 84 having an axial cable slot aligned with the pulley 72 covers the cable reel 20, solenoid 27, and clutch means 21 to protect them from the weather.

Referring to the wiring diagram of Figure 9, a manual starter 74 controls the power by leads 75 and 75a to the motor 16. A typical line supply .is 240 v. A. C. and a 1 H. P. motor for 220 v. and taking approximately 7 amps. The solenoid 27 receives its current over leads 26 and 26a across the main leads 75 and 75a. Switches and 31 are in series in lead 26 to the solenoid 27. The overhead switch 25 is a levolier single-pole, single-throw switch. Switch 31 is controlled by the cable trip 29 and switch arm 28 and is a micro-switch connected to the normally closed or make terminal.

in operation, the shovel 10 is placed in the gutter 11, the power unit '15 is started by the manual starter 74 and overhead switch 25 is closed. The solenoid is thereby energized and the clutch 21 is in engagement with the drum 2t and the cable 12 begins to Wind up on the drum. The portion of the gutter 11 nearest the hopper 13 is cleaned first. When the shovel 19 reaches the elevator hopper 13, the ball 29 on the cable 12 actuates the switch arm 28 which in turn controls the current to the clutch solenoid 27 through switch 31 thereby stopping the drive of the cable drum 20. The cable drum 2%) is now free to unwind since the clutch 241 is disengaged and the shovel, with the cable 12, is carried back in the gutter 11 for another load. After each pass through the gutter, the operator pulls the overhead cord 24 which sets the control circuit of Figure 9 in readiness for the next cycle. These operations are repeated, each pass being longer than the preceding, until the gutters 11 are cleaned.

The shovel 10, and the cable 12, can be pulled around a corner and this is accomplished by the removable bafilc '76 shown in Figures 2 and 5. The corner bafiie 76 includes an upstanding curved plate 77 having an overhanging lip 78 and braced by horizontal plates 79 and 80. A pair of prongs or pegs 81 extend downwardly behind the upstanding curved plate 77 and through the bottom brace plate to enter sockets 82 in the barn floor adjacent the corner as shown in the drawing. If necessary to pull around more than one corner, the baffle unit 76 is transferred to the different locations as needed and after the cleaning operation can be stored out of the way.

The shovel 10 is illustrated as comprising a scoop blade with a handle and a universal linkage 83 for the cable or tow line 12. Other forms of shovel may be used. For example, it may be desirable in some installations to provide lateral extensions or blades on the Wall-contacting edges of the shovel so as to scrape or deflect refuse on the barn floor at the edge of the gutter 11 into the gutter. Likewise the rear of the shovel can be provided with a brush or squeegee for final cleaning of the gutter or gutter edge.

In some instances it will be desired to replace bedding along the cleaned gutters. For this purpose I may provide a gutter-straddling V-shaped plow distributor adapted to be pulled by the cable 12 with the open end of the in the direction of travel. By this arrangement sufi'icient bedding to cover the gutter to the desired depth is loaded onto the distributor and when it is towed along the gutter by the cable 12, bedding is dropped in the gutter 11.

Although specific embodiments of my invention have been described above, it should be understood that these are by way of illustration only and that the invention is not limited thereto since alternative apparatus elements and arrangements will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of my disclosure. Accordingly, modifications of my invention are contemplated without departing from the spirit of my described invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A barn cleaner comprising a single shovel adapted to travel within a gutter behind a row of stalls in a barn, a tow line for said shovel, a drum for taking up said tow line, said drum being mounted in an elevated frame beyond the limits of said gutter, an electric motor for driving said drum, a clutch means between said drum and said motor, a solenoid means for controlling said clutch, a cable guide means substantially below the level of said drum and adjacent the limit of said gutter, said guide means including at least one pulley below which said tow line travels, a switch means located at said guide means for controlling said solenoid, and a stop means on said tow line spaced from the point of attaching the tow line to said shovel for controlling said solenoid to disengage said clutch when the shovel approaches said cable guide means.

2. A barn cleaner comprising a single shovel, a driven elevator, a hopper at a lower end of said elevator, a power unit removably mounted at the upper end of said elevator, said power unit comprising a base frame, a motor, a transmission driven by said motor, and a driven shaft extending from the lower and the upper sides of said unit, an elevator drive sprocket on the lower side of said power unit fixed to said driven shaft, a cable drum rotatably carried by said shaft on the upper side of said power unit, a clutch means fixed to said shaft and engageable with said drum, a cable extending between said drum and said shovel, a pulley guide means for said cable mounted adjacent the lower end of the elevator above said hopper, a solenoid-actuated means for operating said clutch means, a switch means supported by said pulley guide means in the path of said cable for controlling said solenoid, and stop means on said cable for operating said switch means as the shovel is drawn into said pulley guide.

3. A barn cleaner comprising a gutter scoop, an elevator means including a collection hopper and an elevator bed, an endless chain conveyor with spaced paddles traveling in a closed fiat loop over a drive sprocket and an idler sprocket rotating in the plane of said bed, a power unit removably mounted at the upper end of said elevator and supporting said drive sprocket, a tow cable fixed at one end to said scoop, a drum mounted on said power unit for taking up said cable, an electric motor and a transmission for driving said drive sprocket and said cable drum, a clutch means between said transmission and said cable drum, a cable guide unit at the lower end of said elevator, said guide unit comprising a deflector pulley rotating in a vertical plane in alignment with said elevator, and a pair of lateral pulleys adapted to guide said cable onto said deflector pulley, a solenoid means controlling said clutch means, and a switch means in said cable guide unit controlling said solenoid.

4. The barn cleaner of claim 3 which includes a gutter corner guide for the said tow cable comprising a curved plate, an overhanging lip at the upper rim of the said plate, and pegs for removably mounting said plate in upright position at the edge of a gutter in a barn floor.

5. An accessory for use in operating a barn cleaner including a towed shovel in non-linear gutter layouts in a barn floor comprising a curved upright plate extending above the upper edge of a gutter corner, a lip on the upper edge of said plate curved toward said gutter, a pair of brace plates extending across the back of said plate in spaced planes parallel to the barn floor, and depending supporting posts below said brace plates adapted to be removably in sockets in the floor at the rim of the gutter.

6. A power unit for use in barn cleaners comprising a base plate, an extension on said plate for mounting said unit on an elevator, an electric motor fixed to said plate, a transmission means mounted on said plate, drive shafts extending from said transmission transversely of said plate, an elevator conveyor drive sprocket on one of said shafts, a cable drum rotatably mounted about the second of said shafts, a clutch means including a clutch arm keyed to said second shaft, drive dogs on the rim of said cable drum, a pawl pivoted in said clutch arm, a clutch lever extending from the end of said arm and radially of said second shaft, spring means between said clutch arm and said lever causing said lever to normally hold said pawl in driving contact with said dog, a gibbet supported by said base plate and having its arm extend radially of said second shaft, a solenoid on the end of said gibbet over the end of said second shaft, a swivel linkage between the core of said solenoid and said clutch lever, and remote switch means for controlling said solenoid.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the remote switch means is in the path of the cable wound on the cable drum and the cable carries a trip means for actuating the switch means.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the remote switch means is a single-pole, single-throw, overhead switch controlled by an overhead pull cord.

9. The barn cleaner of claim 1 which includes a corner guide means within said gutter comprising a curved upright plate extending above and below the upper edge of a gutter corner, a lip on the upper edge of said plate extending inwardly of said gutter and guiding said tow line around said corner, a pair of brace plates extending across the back of said upright plate in spaced planes substantially parallel to the barn floor, a plurality of sockets in the floor at the rim of the gutter, and a plurality of supporting posts depending from said brace plates and removably held within said sockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,053,206 Meyers Feb. 18, 1913 1,699,175 Yarn Jan. 15, 1929 2,284,120 Booker May 26, 1942 2,305,393 Smith Dec. 15, 1942 2,395,238 Thwaites Feb. 19, 1946 2,491,245 Bergman Dec. 13, 1949 2,513,706 Baehr July 4, 1950 2,544,191 Tomfohrde Mar. 6, 1951 2,547,773 Pittman Apr. 3, 1951 2,603,371 Hershey July 15, 1952 2,639,803 Tonagel et al. May 26, 1953 2,698,105 Ferris et al. Dec. 28, 1954 OTHER REFERENCES Barn Cleaner Catalog, Kewaunee Eng. 00., Adrian, Michigan. 

